Wood questions Apodaca's campaign contributions from Duke

Published: Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at 5:58 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at 5:58 p.m.

The controversy surrounding Duke Energy’s coal ash ponds spilled over into the race for N.C. Senate District 48 this week, with Democratic challenger Rick Wood denouncing Sen. Tom Apodaca for taking campaign contributions from the utility.

A week after Apodaca advocated closing Duke’s coal ash lagoons, including one in Arden near the French Broad River, Wood released a statement saying, “I believe Sen. Apodaca would be in a better position to speak out for legislation to remove the coal ash dumps if he would stop accepting campaign contributions from Duke Energy.”

Apodaca’s push for removing the coal ash ponds came after a ruptured pipe at Duke’s plant in Eden spilled 50,000 to 82,000 tons of coal ash into the Dan River earlier this month.

Wood said Apodaca, a Republican leader first elected in 2002, has received 25 contributions totaling $65,500 over the last 11 years from political action committees representing Duke and Progress Energy. The two companies merged in 2012 to become the nation’s largest utility.

“As a stark contrast to Sen. Apodaca’s position, I will not accept any campaign contributions from Duke Energy, if offered,” Wood said in his news release. He said there’s been a “cozy” relationship between Duke and state regulators, “particularly since the inauguration” of former Duke employee Gov. Pat McCrory.

Apodaca was on an anniversary cruise with his wife Tuesday, but responded to Wood’s statement by email.

“Shows how little he knows,” Apodaca wrote. “The Democrats took $16 million from Duke during their national convention (in Charlotte in 2012), plus guarantees worth millions more. Does he want them to return it?”

The powerful chairman of the Senate’s Rules and Operations Committee said that, if anything, “it shows that money doesn’t influence me in doing what needs to be done. (Wood) is just a liberal union candidate that says what the unions tell him. I want to see the economy continue to recover and Western North Carolina prosper with a strong and clean environment... I will continue to push for elimination of coal ash ponds regardless of what anyone says.”

As for Wood’s pledge not to take any Duke money, Apodaca responded, “I don’t think any job creators would ever donate to him, so he has no worries.”

According to Apodaca’s latest political committee disclosure report, filed Jan. 31 with the State Board of Elections, he received a $4,000 contribution from Duke Energy’s PAC on Oct. 31, 2013. Apodaca has taken in $76,200 from various PACs this election cycle, the report says.

Incumbents generally hold strong advantages because of their name recognition, experience and “ties to fundraising networks,” said Chris Cooper, a professor of political science at Western Carolina University.

“PACs and interest groups give money to candidates for a lot of reasons,” he said. “One is to curry influence with legislators, but they may give it to all incumbents. It may be Apodaca didn’t seek out that money. They’re just investors, and if you’re a smart investor, you give money to the people in power.”

Wood is playing to a challenger’s key advantage over a political veteran like Apodaca, Cooper said, using the “time-tested strategy” of attacking his record.

“I think what Rick Wood is doing is trying to tie Apodaca to establishment politics, which we know people don’t like,” Cooper said. “People don’t like interest groups, even though we’re all AAA members. He has the ability to cast that stone, because he’s never lived in that house.”

But Wood’s attack on Apodaca’s funders also draws attention to the “astronomical difference” in their campaign coffers, Cooper noted. As of Jan. 1, Board of Elections records showed Apodaca had raised $147,682 this election cycle and still has $129,651 in cash on hand.

“That’s a huge disparity,” said Cooper. “The most money doesn’t always win, but with a disparity this size, it would be a big surprise if Wood were able to pull off a victory.”

However, Cooper said even if Wood doesn’t upset Apodaca, his campaign could change public discourse and policy by pushing issues near and dear to his followers. He used the example of Ross Perot’s quixotic run for president in 1992.

“Nobody was talking about the national debt and deficit until Ross Perot starting talking about it, and it’s been a national issue ever since,” Cooper said.

<p>The controversy surrounding Duke Energy's coal ash ponds spilled over into the race for N.C. Senate District 48 this week, with Democratic challenger Rick Wood denouncing Sen. Tom Apodaca for taking campaign contributions from the utility.</p><p>A week after Apodaca advocated closing Duke's coal ash lagoons, including one in Arden near the French Broad River, Wood released a statement saying, “I believe Sen. Apodaca would be in a better position to speak out for legislation to remove the coal ash dumps if he would stop accepting campaign contributions from Duke Energy.”</p><p>Apodaca's push for removing the coal ash ponds came after a ruptured pipe at Duke's plant in Eden spilled 50,000 to 82,000 tons of coal ash into the Dan River earlier this month.</p><p>Wood said Apodaca, a Republican leader first elected in 2002, has received 25 contributions totaling $65,500 over the last 11 years from political action committees representing Duke and Progress Energy. The two companies merged in 2012 to become the nation's largest utility.</p><p>“As a stark contrast to Sen. Apodaca's position, I will not accept any campaign contributions from Duke Energy, if offered,” Wood said in his news release. He said there's been a “cozy” relationship between Duke and state regulators, “particularly since the inauguration” of former Duke employee Gov. Pat McCrory.</p><p>Apodaca was on an anniversary cruise with his wife Tuesday, but responded to Wood's statement by email.</p><p>“Shows how little he knows,” Apodaca wrote. “The Democrats took $16 million from Duke during their national convention (in Charlotte in 2012), plus guarantees worth millions more. Does he want them to return it?”</p><p>The powerful chairman of the Senate's Rules and Operations Committee said that, if anything, “it shows that money doesn't influence me in doing what needs to be done. (Wood) is just a liberal union candidate that says what the unions tell him. I want to see the economy continue to recover and Western North Carolina prosper with a strong and clean environment... I will continue to push for elimination of coal ash ponds regardless of what anyone says.”</p><p>As for Wood's pledge not to take any Duke money, Apodaca responded, “I don't think any job creators would ever donate to him, so he has no worries.”</p><p>According to Apodaca's latest political committee disclosure report, filed Jan. 31 with the State Board of Elections, he received a $4,000 contribution from Duke Energy's PAC on Oct. 31, 2013. Apodaca has taken in $76,200 from various PACs this election cycle, the report says. </p><p>Incumbents generally hold strong advantages because of their name recognition, experience and “ties to fundraising networks,” said Chris Cooper, a professor of political science at Western Carolina University. </p><p>“PACs and interest groups give money to candidates for a lot of reasons,” he said. “One is to curry influence with legislators, but they may give it to all incumbents. It may be Apodaca didn't seek out that money. They're just investors, and if you're a smart investor, you give money to the people in power.”</p><p>Wood is playing to a challenger's key advantage over a political veteran like Apodaca, Cooper said, using the “time-tested strategy” of attacking his record. </p><p>“I think what Rick Wood is doing is trying to tie Apodaca to establishment politics, which we know people don't like,” Cooper said. “People don't like interest groups, even though we're all AAA members. He has the ability to cast that stone, because he's never lived in that house.”</p><p>But Wood's attack on Apodaca's funders also draws attention to the “astronomical difference” in their campaign coffers, Cooper noted. As of Jan. 1, Board of Elections records showed Apodaca had raised $147,682 this election cycle and still has $129,651 in cash on hand.</p><p>By contrast, Wood's latest disclosure report shows he'd raised $8,022 through Jan. 21, with $6,695 cash on hand after spending $1,826 on postage, newspaper ads, office supplies, fundraising and a website.</p><p>“That's a huge disparity,” said Cooper. “The most money doesn't always win, but with a disparity this size, it would be a big surprise if Wood were able to pull off a victory.”</p><p>However, Cooper said even if Wood doesn't upset Apodaca, his campaign could change public discourse and policy by pushing issues near and dear to his followers. He used the example of Ross Perot's quixotic run for president in 1992.</p><p>“Nobody was talking about the national debt and deficit until Ross Perot starting talking about it, and it's been a national issue ever since,” Cooper said.</p><p>Reach Axtell at 828-694-7860 or than.axtell@blueridgenow.com.</p>